When to kill the play?

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by 3afan

agree with the above ... only kill the play immediately if the injury is serious and requires IMMEDIATE medical attention ... like if the line drive had hit the pitcher in the head

Even in that situation, IMMEDIATE medical attention isn't going to happen immediately. How quickly will a trainer run out there, if he/she is even at the park?

You have to use discretion here. Most often when a significant injury occurs, the players themselves tend to stop playing, and the umpire can kill things pretty quickly. But if the two teams are still actively playing, letting the play come to a usual end won't cause more harm to the injured player. From an umpiring perspective, it's easier to let the play finish than to kill it immediately and then try to figure out where to place runners.

Now, obviously if someone runs onto the field from the dugout or bleachers to tend to the injured player, you'll have to kill play.

I once umpired a LL Big League (17-18) baseball state tournament game, and I was U2. The batter hit a fly ball deep into the left-center field gap. F7 and F8 were both running for the ball, and collided pretty significantly with each other. I chased, and when I saw the collision, I didn't kill play, even though both fielders were writhing on the ground. By the time F6 went out to retrieve the ball at the fence, the BR had scored an inside-the-parker.

The defensive manager, after going to check on his players, one of whom had to be taken out of the game, chastised me for not killing play right away. He felt I should have called Time so that his players could be tended to immediately. I replied, "Coach, what good would it have done for you to get out there 15-20 seconds sooner?"